U.S. patent number 5,080,738 [Application Number 07/442,044] was granted by the patent office on 1992-01-14 for assembling method for forming bead assembly for automobile tires.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Katsuji Araki, Isao Kaminaka, Hitoshi Kawashima, Yasukiyo Ohira.
United States Patent |
5,080,738 |
Araki , et al. |
January 14, 1992 |
Assembling method for forming bead assembly for automobile
tires
Abstract
A method for forming an automobile bead assembly comprises three
series of steps. The first series includes placing a bead ring onto
the smaller-diameter side surface of a taper drum, winding a bead
filler around the peripheral surface of the taper drum such that
the thick-walled portion thereof projects over the smaller diameter
surface of the drum, bonding the ends of the filler together,
bending the thick-walled portion along the smaller-diameter side
edge to join it to the bead ring, and separating the front end
portion of the filler from the peripheral surface of the drum. The
second series includes winding a side ply around the outer
periphery of a cylindrical forming drum, bonding the ends together,
winding a bead flipper around the side ply while part of the
flipper overlaps the side ply, and joining the ends of the flipper
together. The third series includes removing the filler/bead ring
subassembly from the taper drum and placing it onto the single
layer of the flipper on the forming drum, bending the inward
portion of the flipper such that it extends along the inside of the
bead ring and filler, bending the portion of the flipper and side
ply, which projects outwardly of the bead ring such that it extends
along the outer surfaces of the filler/bead ring, and bending the
overlap region of the flipper, side ply and filler such that the
side ply lies on the periphery thereby providing a conical
form.
Inventors: |
Araki; Katsuji (Hyogo,
JP), Kawashima; Hitoshi (Hyogo, JP),
Kaminaka; Isao (Hyogo, JP), Ohira; Yasukiyo
(Miyagi, JP) |
Assignee: |
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co.,
Ltd. (Osaka, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
16683247 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/442,044 |
Filed: |
November 27, 1989 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
156/136; 156/132;
156/135; 156/401; 156/414; 156/422; 156/460 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29D
30/48 (20130101); B29D 2030/482 (20130101); B29D
2030/0044 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B29D
30/48 (20060101); B29D 30/06 (20060101); B29D
030/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;156/131,132,135,130.7,136,414,401,422,460 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Ball; Michael W.
Assistant Examiner: Lerin; Francis J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jordan and Hamburg
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An assembling method for forming a bead assembly for automobile
tires comprising first, second and third series of steps, wherein
the first series of steps are performed before, after or
simultaneously with the second series of steps and the third series
of steps are performed after the first and second series of steps,
the first series of steps comprising placing a bead ring onto the
smaller-diameter side surface of a taper drum, winding a bead
filler having a thick-walled portion and a thin-walled portion
completely around the peripheral surface of the taper drum such
that the thick-walled portion thereof projects beyond the
smaller-diameter side edge of the taper drum, bonding the ends of
said bead filler together into an endless form, bending the
thick-walled portion of said bead filler along the smaller-diameter
side edge to join the thick-walled portion to the outer periphery
of said bead ring to form a bead ring/bead filler subassembly while
the thin-walled portion remains on the peripheral surface of the
drum, and separating the thin-walled portion of the bead filler
from the peripheral surface of the taper drum; the second series of
steps comprising winding a side ply around the outer periphery of a
cylindrical forming drum, bonding the ends of the side ply together
into an endless form, winding a bead flipper around the upper
surface of said side ply such that part of said bead flipper
projects in an inward direction beyond the edge of said side ply to
overlap the latter, and joining the ends of said bead flipper
together into an endless form; and the third series of steps
comprising removing the bead filler/bead ring subassembly from the
taper drum, placing the bead filler/bead ring subassembly on the
single layer portion of the bead flipper disposed on the
cylindrical forming drum, bending the portion of the bead flipper
projecting inwardly of the bead ring such that the portion of the
bead flipper projecting inwardly extends along the inner surfaces
of the bead ring and bead filler, bending the portion of the bead
flipper, together with the side ply, which projects outwardly of
the bead ring such that it extends along the outer surfaces of the
bead ring and bead filler, and bending the overlap region of the
bead flipper, side ply and bead filler such that the side ply lies
on the outward periphery to thereby provide a conical form of the
bead assembly.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an assembling method for forming a bead
assembly for automobile tires which consists of a bead ring, a bead
filler, a bead flipper and a side ply, an assembling apparatus
therefor, and a bead filler/bead ring subassembly forming
apparatus.
2. Technical Background
A bead assembly for automobiles tires is known, which, as shown in
FIG. 26, comprises a wedge-shaped bead filler 2 bonded to the outer
peripheral surface of a bead ring 1, a flipper 3 covering the
bonded region from inside, and a side ply 4 bonded to the outer
lateral surface of the flipper 3. And an example of an apparatus
for joining the bead filler 2 to the outer peripheral surface of
said bead ring 1 is described in Japanese Patent Publication No.
51540/1986. This apparatus, as shown in FIG. 27 in the present
application, comprises a bead driving drum 5 having a groove 5a on
the outer periphery, and a pair of dish-shaped pressing disks 6,
with the bead ring 1 being fitted in the groove 5a of the bead
driving drum 5 to be thereby rotated while the bead filler 2 is
tangentially fed to the outer periphery of the bead ring 1, so that
the bead filler 2 is nipped between the pressing disks 6 which
press the bead filler 2 therebetween.
An example of an apparatus for assembling the bead filler/bead ring
subassembly, the bead flipper 3 and the side ply 4 is shown in
Japanese Patent Publication No. 18240/1972. This apparatus
comprises a pair of turn-up bladders axially juxtaposed for contact
with the outer periphery of a cylindrical drum, and bell-shaped
frames disposed on opposite sides of the cylindrical drum. In
operation, the flipper is wound around the turn-up bladders,
followed by the side ply being wound around one side of the
flipper, whereupon the pair of turn-up bladders are inflated to
raise the flipper on one side and the flipper on the opposite side
and the side ply so as to press the flipper on one side against one
side of the bead filler while pressing the other flipper on the
opposite side together with the side ply against the opposite side
of the bead filler. And in this state, the frames on opposite sides
are moved forward to nip the turn-up bladders under pressure,
thereby pressing the flipper and side ply strongly against the bead
filler/bead ring subassembly to connect them together.
Since the bead filler 2 is produced in the form of a strip of
wedge-shaped cross section, the bead filler 2 is bent with its
thick-walled base portion directed inward when the thick-walled
side edge of the bead filler 2 is bonded to the outer peripheral
surface of the bead ring 1. As a result, the base portion is
compressed in the direction of the length (which is perpendicular
to the paper surface of FIG. 27) while the front edge of the
opposite thin-walled side is elongated in the direction of the
length. Recently, there has come to be used a high bead filler
which is a modification of the bead filler 2 made by considerably
increasing its width B as compared with its thickness t. In the
case of the high bead filler, the elongation of the front edge
portion increases until it can hardly be elongated any more, thus
presenting the problem of the so-called end gapping which defines a
triangular gap between the opposite ends of the bead filler 2 when
the latter has been wound a complete turn around the outer
periphery of the bead ring 1.
Further, according to the method of assembling the bead ring, bead
filler, flipper and side ply as described in the aforementioned
Japanese Patent Publication No. 18240/1972, since the flipper
extending in opposite directions from the fitted region of the bead
ring is bent by inflating the turn-up bladders and since the
exhaust is effected by the self contraction of the turn-up
bladders, the operation takes a long time and can hardly be
automated.
This invention provides a method of automatically assembling the
bead ring, bead filler, flipper and side ply, which method
eliminates the aforementioned end gapping, an assembling apparatus
suitable for use in the method, and a bead filler/bead ring
subassembly forming apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the following description, reference will be made to the
drawings for the sake of understanding.
To attain the object described above, the present method, using a
taper drum 11 as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a first process which
comprises temporarily fixing a bead ring 1 to the smaller-diameter
side surface of the taper drum 11, winding a bead filler 2 around
the peripheral surface of the taper drum 11 so that the
thick-walled portion thereof projects beyond the smaller-diameter
side of the taper drum 11, bonding the ends of the bead filler 2
together, bending the thick-walled base portion of the bead filler
along the smaller diameter side edge to join it to the outer
periphery of said bead ring 1 (see FIG. 1), and separating the
front end portion of the bead filler 2 from the peripheral surface
of the taper drum 11 (see FIG. 2); a second process which comprises
winding a side ply 4 around the outer periphery of a cylindrical
forming drum 83 (see FIG. 3), bonding ends of the side ply 4
together, winding a bead flipper 3 around the upper surface of, the
side ply 4 so that part of the bead flipper projects beyond the
edge of the side ply 4 to overlap the latter, and joining ends of
the bead flipper 3 together; and a third process which comprises
removing the bead filler/bead ring subassembly from the taper drum
11 and fitting it on the single layer of the bead flipper 3 alone
disposed on the forming drum 83 (see FIG. 4), erecting the portion
of the bead flipper 3 projecting inwardly of the bead ring 1 (see
FIG. 5) so that it extends along one of the respective surfaces of
the bead ring 1 and bead filler 2, and erecting the portion of the
bead flipper 3, together with the side ply 4, which projects
outwardly of the bead ring 1 (see FIG. 6) so that it extends along
the other surfaces of the bead ring 1 and bead filler 2, and
bending the overlap region of the bead flipper 3, side ply 4 and
bead filler 2 so that the side ply 4 lies on the outer side to
thereby provide a conical form, either one of the first and second
processes being performed first and then the other or both the
first and second processes being performed simultaneously, and
thereafter the third process being performed.
In the assembling method for forming the bead assembly, since the
peripheral speed of the larger-diameter side of the taper drum 11
used in the first process is faster than that of the
smaller-diameter side, it follows that when the bead filler 2 is
wound around the periphery of the taper drum 11 by fixing the front
end of the bead filler 2 to the surface of the taper drum 11 and
rotating the latter, the winding proceeds in such a manner that the
thin-walled front edge is elongated more than the thick-walled base
edge so that opposite ends of the bead filler 2 are endlessly
connected together without causing end gapping. And in the second
process, the flipper 3 and the side ply 4 are endlessly connected
together, and in the third process, the bead filler/bead ring
subassembly is fitted on the side ply 4 and flipper 3 wound around
the cylindrical forming drum 83 separate from the taper drum 11 and
the inner side of said subassembly is wrapped in them, whereupon
the bead filler 2, flipper 3 and side ply 4 are bent to one side to
provide a conical form, and they are endlessly joined together,
thus forming a bead assembly having no end-gap, it being easy to
automate the forming of the subassembly.
The bead filler/bead ring subassembly forming apparatus used in the
first process in the assembling method described above, comprises a
frusto-conical rotatable taper drum 11 adapted to removably receive
a bead ring 1 concentrically on its smaller-diameter side surface,
filler guide means 15 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) for guiding a bead filler
2 onto the outer peripheral surface of the taper drum 11 so that
the thick-walled base portion of the bead filler projects beyond
the smaller-diameter side edge of the taper drum 11 and so that the
bead filler extends at right angles with the generatrix of the
taper drum 11, filler fixing means 30 for removably fixing to the
surface of the taper drum 11 the front end of the bead filler fed
in through the filler guide means 15, drum driving means 14 for
rotating the taper drum 11, a presser roller 36 for pressing the
bead filler 2 against the outer peripheral surface of the taper
drum 11, and filler bending means 37 whereby the thick-walled base
portion of the bead filler 2 projecting from the smaller-diameter
side edge of the taper drum 11 is bent along the smaller-diameter
side edge of the taper drum 11 and is pressed against the outer
peripheral surface of the bead ring 1 attached in advance to the
smaller-diameter side surface of the taper drum 11.
According to the bead filler/bead ring subassembly forming
apparatus, the bead ring 1 is temporarily fixed to the
smaller-diameter side surface of the taper drum 11, while the bead
filler 2 is led onto the taper drum 11 by the filler guide means 15
and is temporarily fixed at its front end to the taper drum 11 by
the filler fixing means 30. And the bead filler 2 is pressed
against the surface of the taper drum 11 by the presser roller 36
while rotating the taper drum 11 by the taper drum driving means
14, whereby the bead filler 2 is continuously drawn out of the
filler guide means and wound around the taper drum 11. And the
thick-walled side base portion of the bead filler 2 projecting from
the smaller-diameter side edge is bent by the filler bending means
37 and bonded to the bead ring 1. After the taper drum 11 has been
rotated through one revolution, it is stopped and the bead filler 2
is cut off to leave its portion on the taper drum 11 which is equal
in length to the circumference of the taper drum 11, thus providing
an endless form of bead filler/bead ring subassembly having no
end-gap.
In the bead filler/bead ring subassembly forming apparatus, the
taper drum 11 can be installed so that its center line 11a is
inclined with respect to the horizontal line so that the generatrix
on the top is approximately horizontal. Thereby, the bead filler 2
can be fed flatwise and the winding of the bead filler 2 is
facilitated.
The peripheral surface of the taper drum 11 may be defined by a
turn-up bladder 17 having a number of ridges extending in the
direction of the generatrix, so that the endlessly bonded bead
filler 2 placed around the peripheral surface of the turn-up
bladder 17 is erected by inflating the turn-up bladder 17.
Thereby, it becomes easy to automatically erect the bead filler 2
and the formation of the ridges 17a on the surface of the turn-up
bladder 17 facilitates separation of the bead filler 2 from the
surface of the taper drum 11.
The assembling apparatus (see FIGS. 24 and 25) used in the second
and third processes in the assembling method and serving to unite
the bead filler/bead ring subassembly, the flipper 3 and the side
ply 4 comprises a rotatable horizontal main shaft 82 supported in a
cantilever fashion, a turn-up bladder 96 which, when contracted,
defines the cylindrical surface of the forming drum 83, first and
second auxiliary drums formed of a number of radially slidable
segments 98 and 99 and adapted, when contracted, to form
cylindrical surfaces of the same diameter as that of the turn-up
bladder 96 when the latter is in the contracted state, the turn-up
bladder and the first and second auxiliary drums being mounted side
by side on the main horizontal shaft 82 in the order mentioned as
seen from the free end of the horizontal main shaft 82, a turn-up
support ring 85 in the form of a hollow cone surrounding the
forming drum and axially slidably mounted on the horizontal main
shaft 82 nearer to the proximal end of the latter, and a
cylindrical pusher ring 70 adapted to surround the forming drum 83
and axially slidably mounted on the horizontal main shaft 82 on the
side opposite to the turn-up support ring 85.
Using the assembling apparatus for forming the bead assembly for
automobile tires, the second process in the assembling method is
performed by winding the side ply 4 around the turn-up bladder 96
which constitutes the forming drum 83 and winding the flipper 3 in
such a manner as to cover the first and second segments 98 and 99
(see FIG. 3). Subsequently, the first segments positioned adjacent
the turn-up bladder 96 are slightly increased in diameter (see FIG.
4) and the bead filler/bead ring subassembly obtained in the first
process is brought onto the horizontal main shaft 82 from its free
end and is fitted on the portion of the flipper 3 which is raised
by the increase in the diameter of the first segments 98, and then
the second segments 99 are increased in diameter (see FIG. 5),
thereby bending the flipper 3 on the second segments 99 to erect
it, the flipper 3 thus covering one surface of the bonded region of
the bead ring 1 and bead filler 2. And the turn-up support ring 85
standing by nearer to the proximal end of the horizontal shaft 82
is advanced to the position where its front end surrounds the
second segments 99, whereupon the turn-up bladder 96 is inflated to
bend the flipper 3 and the side ply 4 thereon upward. Then, the
pusher ring 70 standing by nearer to the free end of the horizontal
main shaft 82 is advanced to cause the turn-up bladder 96 to urge
the flipper 3 and side ply 4 against the turn-up support ring 85
(see FIG. 6) to connect them together, thereby providing a conical
bead assembly 1-4 conforming to the shape of the turn-up support
ring 85.
Because of the arrangement for defining the outer surface of the
forming drum by the turn-up bladder and first and second segments,
increasing the diameter of the auxiliary drum consisting of the
first segments, and fitting the bead ring on the flipper mounted on
said diameter-increased auxiliary drum, this fitting operation is
facilitated. Further, since the flipper projecting from one side of
the bead ring fitted on the flipper is bent by increasing the
diameter of the auxiliary drum consisting of the second segments,
the operation can be made faster than in the conventional apparatus
using a turn-up bladder.
The assembling apparatus for forming the bead assembly consisting
of the bead ring 1, bead filler 3, flipper 3 and side ply 4 may
comprise a horizontal turntable 50 disposed on the floor in the
direction of extension of the free end of the horizontal shaft 82,
two pairs of guide rails 52 and 53 extending in different
directions from the center of rotation of the horizontal turntable,
a pusher ring 70 mounted on a slide block 71 slidable along one
pair of guide rails 53, an annular holder 54 approximately equal in
diameter to the endlessly joined bead filler 2 and mounted on a
slide block 56 slidable along the other pair of rails 52, the
annular holder 54 being swingable from a vertical position to a
forwardly inclined position, a number of suction disks 65 for
sucking the bead filler which are fixed on, the annular holder 54,
the arrangement being such that the bead filler/bead ring
subassembly forming apparatus 10 can be installed in the direction
of extension of the guide rails 52 when the guide rails 53 are
directed to the horizontal main shaft 82 so that the smaller
diameter side of the taper drum 11 is directed to the center of
rotation of the horizontal turntable.
Thereby, it becomes possible to automate the series of assembling
operations. That is, it is possible to make an arrangement such
that after the bead filler/bead ring subassembly has been made on
the taper drum, the annular holder 54 opposed to the taper drum 11
is forwardly inclined to press the suction disks 65 against the
bead filler 2 on the taper drum 11 to suck and hold the bead
filler/bead ring subassembly. Thereafter, the annular holder 54 is
brought from the forwardly inclined position back to the vertical
position and the bead filler/bead ring subassembly is removed from
the taper drum 11. Subsequently, the horizontal turnable 50 is
rotated to align the guide rails 52 for the annular holder 54 with
the direction of the horizontal main shaft 82 of the assembling
apparatus, whereupon the annular holder 54 is advanced to fit the
bead filler/bead ring subassembly on the flipper 83 supported on
the forming drum 83. Thereafter, the bead filler/bead ring
subassembly is released from the sucking disks 65 and then the
annular holder 54 is retracted. The flipper 3 and side ply 4 are
wound around the bead filler/bead ring subassembly. And the
horizontal turntable 50 is rotated again to bring the guide rails
53 for the pusher ring 70 into alignment with the direction of the
horizontal main shaft 82, whereupon the pusher ring 70 is advanced
to press the turn-up bladder 96 of the forming drum 83, thereby
forming the bead assembly.
Further, a number of permanent magnets 101 may be circumferentially
equidistantly attached to the inner side of the turn-up bladder 96
constituting the forming drum of the assembling apparatus.
Thereby, when the side ply 4 reinforced with steel wires is wound
around the turn-up bladder 96, the side ply 4 can be easily fixed
in position.
Further, a tacky portion made of semi-cured chlorobutyl rubber may
be provided on part of the outer peripheral surface of the turn-up
bladder 96 constituting the forming drum 83.
Thereby, it becomes easy to fix any side ply 4 in position, not
restricted to one having steel cords, in winding such side ply.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view, partly broken away, of a taper drum used in
this invention;
FIGS. 2 through 6 are sectional views for explaining an assembling
method according to this invention;
FIG. 7 is a front view of an entire assembling apparatus for
forming a bead assembly according to the invention;
FIG. 8 is a front view of part of an bead filler/bead ring
subassembly forming apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX--IX in FIG.
8;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of part of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI--XI in FIG.
10;
FIG. 12 is a front view of a modification of the upper portion of
the taper drum;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line XIII--XIII in FIG.
12;
FIGS. 14 through 22 are views explaining the operation of the bead
filler/bead ring subassembly forming apparatus;
FIG. 23 is a side view of an annular holder;
FIG. 24 is a front view of the assembling apparatus for forming the
bead assembly;
FIG. 25 is a front view, partly broken away, of a forming drum
shown in FIG. 24;
FIG. 26 is a sectional view of the bead assembly; and
FIG. 27 is a front view of a conventional bead filler/bead ring
subassembly forming apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the entire apparatus. A bead filler/bead
ring subassembly forming apparatus 10 comprises a vertical main
shaft 12, four arms 13 radially extending from the vertical main
shaft, each arm 13 having a taper drum 11 rotatably mounted
thereon, the vertical main shaft 12 being intermittently rotated
clockwise through 90 degrees each time. Each taper drum 11, as
shown in FIG. 1, is installed so that its axis 11a is inclined with
respect to the horizontal line so that the generatrix on the top is
approximately horizontal. The taper drums 11 are revolved or moved
in a circular path successively through a first station A located
above, a second station B located right, a third station C located
below and a fourth station D located left. In the first station A,
a bead ring 1 is mounted; in the second station B, the bead ring 1
is centered; in the third station C, the taper drum 11 is rotated
by a drum driving device 14 to wind a bead filler 2 being fed in by
a filler guide (filler guide means) 15 around the taper drum 11,
the base portion of the bead filler 2 being bent; and in the fourth
station D, the bead filler/bead ring subassembly is removed from
the taper drum 11.
A horizontal turntable 50 is installed in front of the taper drum
at the fourth station D and two pairs of guide rails 52 and 53
extend from the center of rotation of the horizontal turntable at
right angles to each other to mount slide blocks thereon. An
annular holder 54 is slidably mounted on the guide rails 52
extending laterally as seen in FIG. 7 through a slide block, while
a pusher ring 70 is slidably mounted on the guide rails 53
extending upward as seen in FIG. 7 through a slide block.
An assembling apparatus 80 for forming a bead assembly is installed
in front of the pusher ring 70, i.e., in the direction of extension
of the upward guide rails 53. Guide rails 81 which connect to the
guide rails 53 are laid on the assembling apparatus 80. A forming
drum 83 is supported in a cantilever fashion by a horizontal main
shaft 82, and a servicer 110 for supplying the flipper 3 and side
ply 4 is disposed at the left of the forming drum 83.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show the taper drum 11 in the third station C
included in the bead filler/bead ring subassembly forming apparatus
10. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the taper drum 11 comprises a drum
body 16 and a turn-up bladder 17 forming the peripheral surface of
the drum body and adapted to be expanded and contracted by
supplying and discharging air through an air passage 16a formed in
the drum body 16. The surface of the turn-up bladder 17 is formed
with a number of ridges extending in the direction of the
generatrix, as shown in FIG. 11.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the smaller-diameter side
surface of the taper drum 11 is provided with a bead support ring
18 adapted to have a bead ring 1 for automobile tires fitted
thereon. A central ring 19 is fixed at the center of the
smaller-diameter side surface, and an annular friction clutch plate
20 is fixed on the outer region. On the other hand, a main drive
shaft 21 extends from the drum driving device 14 and can be
retractably advanced along the center line 11a until a central
projection 21a on the front end surface thereof fits in said
central ring 19 on the taper drum 11. A slide collar 23 fits
between an annular stop 22 fixed on the front end of the main drive
shaft 21 and a flange 21b provided above the annular stop. A
friction clutch plate 25 is fixed to the lower end flange 23a of
the slide collar 23 through a dish-shaped ring 24 and is pressed
against the friction clutch plate 20 on the taper drum 11 by a
compression coil spring 26 interposed between the flange 21b of the
main drive shaft 21 and the lower end flange 23b of the slide
collar 23.
A rotary pneumatic cylinder 28 is fixed to the flange 21b of the
main drive shaft 21 through an arm 27 and has a rotary shaft 28a to
which a top pressing first lever 29 is fixed. A second tip pressing
lever 30 is attached to the front end of said first lever by a
connecting pin 29a in such a manner as to be rotatable through a
predetermined angle and urged clockwise. In addition, the working
air for the rotary pneumatic cylinder 28 is supplied through the
central hole in the main driving shaft and the central hole in the
arm 27. This air supply causes the top pressing first lever 29 to
rotate from above to the illustrated position and the second lever
30 to elastically press the tip of the bead filler 2 on the taper
drum 11.
The filler guide (filler guide means) 15 is positioned upper left
in FIG. 8 and, as shown in FIG. 9, has two upward guides 15a on
opposite edges thereof which are in contact with the thick-walled
proximal end edge and thin-walled distal end edge of the bead
filler 2 so as to guide the bead filler 2 so that it moves at right
angles to the generatrix of the top portion of the taper drum 11
and without zigzagging. In addition, one or both of the guides 15a
may be made axially movable to adjust the distance therebetween to
the width of the bead filler 2.
A vacuum hand 31 positioned above the filler guide 15 serves to
such and hold the bead filler 2 on the filler guide 15 to carry its
front end to the top of the taper drum 11. The vacuum hand 31 is
fixed to the lower end of the piston rod 32a of a vertical hand
lifting air cylinder 32, whereby it is lifted and lowered. A slide
base 33 to which the hand lifting air cylinder 32 is fixed is
guided by a rail 34 extending laterally as seen in FIG. 8 and is
connected to the piston rod 35a of a laterally extending hand
lifting air cylinder 35 so that it is moved laterally; thus the
vacuum hand 31 is moved laterally.
A presser roller 36 is positioned at the right of the filler guide
15 and immediately above the taper drum 11 and adapted to be lifted
and lowered by an air cylinder (not shown) disposed thereabove.
When lowered, it depresses the bead filler 2 on the taper drum 11,
as shown, to fix the bead filler 2 against deviation.
A bending roller 37 disposed at the right of the pressing roller 36
is in the form of a disk having a knurled edge (see FIG. 18) and is
adapted to be lifted and lowered as its bracket 38 is fixed to the
piston rod 39a of a bending air cylinder 39 disposed thereabove,
the arrangement being such that when the bending roller 37 is
lowered, its lower surface is opposed to the upper surface of the
bead ring 1 on the smaller-diameter side surface of the taper drum
11.
Further, a cutter shaft 40 is installed above the pressing roller
36 to extend widthwise of the bead filler 2 on the filler guide 15.
When the cuter shaft 40 is driven by a rotary pneumatic cylinder
(not shown), a cutter 43 fixed to the cutter shaft 40 through a
cutter arm 41 and cutter holder 42 is swung in a vertical plane so
that it widthwise cuts the bead filler 2 on the filler guide 15
when it is lowered.
In the bead filler/bead ring subassembly forming apparatus
described above, when the taper drum 11 having the bead ring 1
attached thereto is turned to the third station C, the vacuum hand
31, cutter 43, pressing roller 36 and bending roller 37 are all
retracted upward to their respective stand-by positions, with the
main drive shaft 21 retracted toward the drum driving device 14 and
with the tip pressing first and second levers 29 and 30 above the
main drive shaft 21 standing by in the upper region. When the
vertical main shaft 12 having the taper drums 11 attached thereto
is stopped, the hand sliding and lifting air cylinders 35 and 32,
respectively, are actuated, causing the vacuum hand 31 to suck the
bead filler 2 on the filler guide 15 and carry it onto the taper
drum 11 (see FIG. 14), and then the main drive shaft 21 is advanced
and connected to the taper drum 11, whereupon the tip pressing
rotary pneumatic cylinder 28 is actuated to turn the first lever 29
and hence the front end of the second lever 30 is lowered onto the
top of the taper drum 11 to press the front end portion of the bead
filler 2 against the taper drum 11, thereby fixing it in position
(see FIGS. 14 and 15). Subsequently, the vacuum hand 31 returns to
its stand-by position, and the pressing roller 36 is lowered, as
shown in FIG. 16. The taper drum 11 is rotated at low speed to
start the winding of the bead filler. As shown in FIG. 17, when the
tip pressing second lever 30 passes below the bending roller 37,
the latter is lowered to bend the bead filler 2 downward while
pressing the base portion of the bead filler 2 against the upper
surface of the bead ring 1 (see FIG. 18), whereupon the rotation of
the taper drum 11 is accelerated. When the taper drum 11 has made
approximately one complete revolution as the winding of the bead
filler 2 proceeds, the taper drum 11 is decelerated to come to a
halt. As shown in FIG. 19, the vacuum hand 31 is lowered again to
suck and hold the bead filler 2 on the filler guide 16, whereupon
the cutter 43 is lowered to cut the bead filler 2 at the right of
the vacuum hand 31. When the cutting is completed, the cutter 43
returns to its stand-by position and, as shown in FIG. 20, the
vacuum hand 31, sucking and holding the front end of the bead
filler 2, is lifted to stand by for the next winding. On the other
hand, the taper drum 11 starts to rotate at low speed again and the
pressing roller 36 presses the opposite ends of the bead filler 2
to connect them together (see FIG. 20). The pressing roller 36 is
lifted, the taper drum 11 stops rotating, the bending roller 37 and
tip pressing first and second levers 29 and 30 are lifted and, the
main drive shaft 21 is retracted to cut off the connection between
it and the taper drum 11, thus completing the operation in the
third station C.
In the third station C, a stitcher roller 44 and a washer roll 47
may be provided in a region spaced about 90 degrees clockwise away
from the bending roller 37, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The
stitcher roller 44 is in the form of a disk similar to the bending
roller 37 and is attached to the lower end of the piston rod 45a of
a stitcher air cylinder 45 through a bracket 46, so that when the
piston rod 45a is extended, the stitcher roller 44, like the
bending roller 37, presses the bead filler 2 against the upper
surface of the bead ring 1 on the smaller-diameter side surface of
the taper drum 11, thereby making the bond firmer. The washer roll
47 disposed below the level of the stitcher roller 44 is formed of
a number of thin apertured disks of different sizes rotatably put
together into a roller form having a groove of hourglass-shaped
cross section and connected to the front end of the piston rod 48a
of a washer air cylinder 48 through a bracket 49, so that when the
piston rod 48 a is extended, it is contacted with the
smaller-diameter side edge of the taper drum 11 to press the bend
of the bead filler for reformation. That is, after the tip pressing
first and second levers 29 and 30 have returned to their stand-by
positions, the washer roll 47 is actuated (see FIG. 21) to ensure
the bending of the joined region at the opposite ends of the bead
filler 2, and then the washer roll 47 is returned to its stand-by
position and the stitcher roller 44 is actuated (see FIG. 22) to
connect the base portion of the bead filler 2 firmly to the bead
ring 1. Upon completion of this finish connection, the taper drum
11 stops rotating and the connection between it and the main drive
shaft 21 is cut off.
When the connection between the taper drum 11 and the main drive
shaft 21 is cut off, the vertical main shaft 12 of the taper drum
11 is rotated through 90 degrees, so that the bead filler/bead ring
subassembly is transferred on the taper drum 11 from the third
station C to the fourth station D. Pressurized air is supplied to
the turn-up bladder 17 of the taper drum 1 to inflate said turn-up
bladder 17 (see FIG. 2) to erect the front end portion of the bead
filler 2. In this case, since the surface of the turn-up bladder 17
is formed with ridges 17a, the quality of sliding movement between
the surface of the turn-up bladder 17 and the bead filler 2 is
improved, whereby the erection of the bead filler 2 is
facilitated.
An annular holder 54 for withdrawing the bead filler/bead ring
subassembly erected by the turn-up bladder 17 of the taper drum 11
is shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The annular holder 54 is installed on
guide rails 52 laid on the L-shaped horizontal turntable 50 shown
in FIG. 7. That is, the legs 56a of the slide block 56 slidably fit
on the pair of guide rails 52. And connected to the back of a
pillar 57 erected on the rear portion (the left-hand side portion,
as seen in FIG. 23) of said slide block 56 is the front end of the
piston rod 58a of a hydraulic cylinder 58 for the holder
horizontally installed near to the center of rotation of the
horizontal turntable 50. The actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 58
moves the slide block 56 along the guide rails 52.
A hydraulic cylinder 59 for forwardly tilting the annular holder 54
is installed on the upper end of the pillar 57 and is swingably
supported at its middle portion by a bracket 60 on the pillar 57
through a pin 60a. The upper end of the annular holder 54 is
connected to the front end of the piston rod 59a by a connecting
pin 59b. The lower end of the annular holder 54 is connected to a
bracket 61 on the slide block 56 by a connecting pin 61a. When the
piston rod 59a of the hydraulic cylinder 59 is retracted, the
annular holder 54 assumes a substantially vertical position shown
in solid lines, and when the piston rod 59a is extended, the
annular holder 54 assumes a forwardly inclined position shown in
chain lines, it being arranged that this inclination coincides with
the inclination of the taper drum 11. Thus, said annular holder 54
comprises an annular frame 62 extending between the front end of
the piston rod 59a disposed above and the bracket 61, an
intermediate ring 63 fixed to the front surface of the annular
frame 62 and a front ring 64 fixed to the front surface of the
intermediate ring 63. The front ring 64 has a forwardly projecting
edge 64a disposed along the inner periphery thereof, and a number
of suction disks 65 fixed to the outer side of the projecting edge
64a, said suction disks 65 being adapted to contact the bead filler
2 erected on the taper drum 11 (see FIG. 2).
More particularly, the piston rod 58a of the hydraulic cylinder 58
for the holder is extended to advance the slide block 56 toward the
taper drum 11 in the fourth station D and at the advance position
the piston rod 59a of the hydraulic cylinder 59 is extended to
bring the suction disks 65 into contact with the bead filler 2 on
the taper drum 11, whereupon the low pressure source connected to
the suction disks is actuated. As a result, the bead filler/bead
ring subassembly is sucked and held by the suction disks 65 of the
annular holder 54. When the piston rod 59a of the forwardly tilting
hydraulic cylinder 59 is retracted, the annular holder 54 is
returned to its vertical position, and said subassembly is removed
from the taper drum 11.
The slide block 71 for pusher ring 70 is slidably mounted on the
other pair of guide rails 53 on the horizontal turntable 50 (see
FIGS. 7 and 24) through its legs 71a. Fixed to a pillar 72 erected
on the slide block 71 is the concentric pusher ring 70 surrounding
a forming drum 83. The piston rod 73 to a hydraulic cylinder for
the pusher ring is connected to the back of the pillar 72, so that
when the piston rod 73 is extended, the pusher ring 70 is advanced
toward the forming drum 83.
The assembling apparatus 80 positioned in the direction of advance
of the pusher ring 70, as shown in FIG. 24, comprises guide rails
81 laid on the floor located in the extension of the guide rails 53
for the pusher ring 70, a horizontal main shaft 82 positioned above
the guide rails 82, a forming drum 83 attached to the free end of
the horizontal main shaft 82, a headstock 84 supporting the
horizontal main shaft in a cantilever fashion, and a turn-up
support ring 85 concentric with the forming drum 83, the turn-up
support ring 85 being fixed on a slide block 86 slidable along the
guide rails 81 through a support frame 87 which, in turn, is
connected to the front ends of the piston rods 88a of a pair of
hydraulic cylinders 88 positioned on opposite sides of the
horizontal main shaft 82, so that the actuation of the hydraulic
cylinders 88 advance and retracts the support frame 87 on said
guide rails 81.
The details of the forming drum 83 are shown in FIG. 25. A drum
boss 91 is fixed on the free end of the horizontal main shaft 82 by
a split ring 92 and an annularly connected coil spring 92a. The
drum boss 91 has a flange portion 91d having rows of radial
cylinder holes formed in the peripheral surface thereof, with
pistons 93 and 94 fitted in the cylinder holes. The bottoms of the
cylinder holes are connected to a high pressure source associated
with the headstock through air supply holes 91b and 91c in the drum
boss 91 and air supply holes 82b and 82c in the horizontal main
shaft 82.
A flange-like bladder fixing ring 95 larger in outer diameter than
the flange portion 91d is fixed on the front surface (left-hand
side surface in the figure) of the flange portion 91d of the drum
boss 91, and a cylindrical bladder receiving ring 95' is fixed to
the front surface of the bladder fixing ring 95. The mouth of a
turn-up bladder 96 is fixed to the peripheral surface of the
bladder fixing ring 95. The outer surface of the turn-up bladder 96
defines the cylindrical forming drum surface when the bladder 96 is
contracted. The mouth of the turn-up bladder 96 is connected to the
high pressure source associated with the headstock through an air
supply hole 95a formed in the bladder fixing ring 95, an air supply
hole 91a formed in the drum boss 91 and an air supply hole 82a
formed in the horizontal main shaft. On the other hand, a guide
ring 97 is fixed to the rear surface of the flange portion 91d of
the drum boss 91 and its outer peripheral surface defines the outer
surface of the forming drum 83.
A number of auxiliary drum forming first and second segments 98 and
99 are interposed between the bladder fixing ring 95 and the guide
ring 97 to surround the flange portion 91d of the drum boss 91.
When the front and rear first and second segments 98 and 99 come in
contact with the outer end surfaces of the front and rear pistons
93 and 94, respectively, the outer surfaces of the first and second
segments 98 and 99 cooperate with the turn-up bladder 96 which is
in its contracted state and with the guide ring 97 to define the
outer surface of the forming drum 83. These first and second
segments 98 and 99 are urged in the centripetal direction by
endless coil springs 100, 100 fitted on the inner edges of all
first segments 98 and all second segments 99, respectively. The
rear surface of the bladder fixing ring 95 adjacent the front
surfaces of the first segments 98 is formed with a step 95b which
serves as a stop for restricting the outward slide movement of the
first segments. A step 97a formed on the front surface of the guide
ring 97 adjacent the rear surfaces of the rear segments 99 acts as
a stop for restricting the outward slide movement of the second
segments 99. In addition, the step 95b of the bladder fixing ring
95 is positioned radially inwardly of the step 97a, and the stroke
of the first segments 98 is shorter than that of the second
segments 99. In addition, a number of permanent magnets 101 may be
circumferentially arranged on the attaching base for the turn-up
bladder 96.
The forming drum 83 described above is rotated by the horizontal
main shaft 82 to wind the side ply 4 and flipper 3 therearound (see
FIG. 3) which are fed from the servicer 110 (see FIG. 7), and then
pressurized air is fed to the front cylinders in the flange portion
91d of the drum boss 91 to push out the first segments 98 so as to
increase the diameter of the auxiliary drum consisting of the first
segments 98 (see FIG. 4). On the other hand, with the bead
filler/bead ring subassembly sucked and held by the annular holder
54 on the horizontal turntable 50, the horizontal turntable 50 is
rotated to connect the guide rails 52 for the annular holder 54 to
guide rails 81 for the assembling apparatus 80, whereupon the
piston rod 58a of the hydraulic cylinder 58 for the holder is
extended to advance the slide block 56 toward the forming drum 83,
whereby the bead ring of the subassembly sucked and held by the
annular holder 54 is fitted on the flipper 3 held on the forming
drum 83 (see FIG. 4). Then, the second segments 99 are pushed out
by the rear pistons 94 in the flange portion 91d of the drum boss
91 of the forming drum 83 to increase the diameter of the auxiliary
drum consisting of the second segments 99 (see FIG. 5), thereby
bending one side of the flipper 3. Subsequently, the hydraulic
cylinders 88 (see FIG. 24) for the support ring associated with the
headstock 84 are actuated to advance the turn-up support ring 85
toward the forming drum 83 to come near the back of the erected
bead filler 2 (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, the sucking force exerted
by the annular holder 54 on the bead filler/bead ring subassembly
is removed and the annular holder 54 is retracted on the turntable
50, and then the latter is turned through 90 degrees to connect the
guide rails 53 for the pusher ring 70 to the guide rails 81 for the
assembling apparatus 80. Meanwhile, compressed air is supplied to
the turn-up bladder 96 of the forming drum 83 to inflate it (see
FIG. 6) to bend the remaining half of the flipper together with the
side ply 4 to erect them. And the pusher ring 70 on the horizontal
turntable 50 is thrusted out onto the guide rails 81 for the
assembling apparatus 80, bending side the ply 4 and flipper 3
toward the headstock 84 by the front edge of the pusher ring 70
through the erected turn-up bladder 96 so as to cause the side ply
4 and flipper 3 to conform to the shape of the outer surface of the
turn-up support ring 85.
* * * * *